A Tale of Two-Pieces

Back from the past, matching top-and-bottom ensembles make evening glamour as easy as one plus one

By

J.J. Martin

Feb. 1, 2013 12:58 p.m. ET

IN THE MID-1960S, the swans of the international social set were lounging around on their damask couches not in moisture-wicking sweatsuits, but in matching two-piece silk shantung pajamas trimmed with crystal embroidery. (No, not actual pajamas made for bedtime; that's just the term they go by.) The woman responsible for making the supremely elegant yet casual uniform popular was a Russian-born, Rome-based designer called Irene Galitzine who started her label, Galitzine, in 1947.